Senate President Stephen Sweeney, D-Gloucester, said officials from Gov. Chris Christie’s administration have indicated work may restart soon on the multibillion-dollar retail and entertainment complex at the Meadowlands.

Triple Five, which owns the Mall of America in Minnesota, made a deal with lenders in December to take control of the Xanadu project. Christie has said financing or tax breaks from the state might be required.

“”They told me they were really close to getting the deal done, but not a word on what the details are,’’ Sweeney said.

The project is supposedly in line for help from the state Economic Development Authority, which previously supplied a tax break that revived the Revel casino project in Atlantic City. The EDA board has its next meeting May 13.

Sweeney said the mall and casino projects have similarities.

””I’m all right with that because it’s not much different than what we did in Atlantic City. Not to get that (Meadowlands) project finished would be a monument to failure of the state to create economic development,’’ Sweeney said. “If they’re being creative with tax credits to help finish this project, that’s going to put a lot of people to work. We’re giving people something we don’t have, because we have nothing right now.’’